tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66563978885649255592018-03-06T14:30:00.856-08:00PronetoWanderMy life.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-82028231816440384792010-08-23T11:58:00.000-07:002010-08-23T12:00:47.920-07:00:)Every single day I'm realizing more and more how amazing my wife is. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/THLFSk9EO4I/AAAAAAAAAFk/Bi7WUxenSwQ/s1600/Christina+Curly.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/THLFSk9EO4I/AAAAAAAAAFk/Bi7WUxenSwQ/s400/Christina+Curly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508682217175661442" /></a><br /><br />I am unbelievably blessed.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-43433307660127803032010-08-20T08:36:00.000-07:002010-08-20T08:38:14.489-07:00PhotographyI'm starting to really enjoy/obsess over photography<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TG6hS-ErWOI/AAAAAAAAAFU/Epcyt8kxtFI/s1600/camera.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TG6hS-ErWOI/AAAAAAAAAFU/Epcyt8kxtFI/s400/camera.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507516741593028834" /></a>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-50329665590866067992010-08-18T10:38:00.000-07:002010-08-18T10:42:07.167-07:00Love 146Can't post about this organization often enough. I truly believe that slavery is among the greatest evils/atrocities in our world today. These guys are legitimately doing something about it. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TGwbCDl2PMI/AAAAAAAAAFM/hx1VD9Rndoc/s1600/home_slavery4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TGwbCDl2PMI/AAAAAAAAAFM/hx1VD9Rndoc/s400/home_slavery4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506806166505012418" /></a><br /><br />http://love146.org/Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-65086162770887974532010-08-16T08:33:00.000-07:002010-08-16T08:34:31.463-07:00Woo hoo!My big sister Aimee is pregnant! :) so exciting!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TGlaXaQ7e4I/AAAAAAAAAFE/4R1NbXhY5GA/s1600/uncle-sam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TGlaXaQ7e4I/AAAAAAAAAFE/4R1NbXhY5GA/s400/uncle-sam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506031377670962050" /></a>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-52704487836768135982010-08-13T10:05:00.000-07:002010-08-13T10:39:08.217-07:00Music and emotion“A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence.” - Leopold Stokowski<br /><br />I think that music is in itself just undifferentiated emotion. Emotion waiting to be labeled. <br /><br />Songwriters find it on accident sometimes, like buried treasure. The right melody or combination of chords stumbles out of their mouth or hands, and there it is: an emotion. Happiness. Sadness. Regret. Hope. <br /><br />A good songwriter can get onto it like a surfer clumsily riding a wave. He or she knows where it is, can find it, and can even manage to tame it sometimes by attaching their message to it. <br /><br />GREAT songwriters knows how to make it. They know what they want to express, and then they do so. <br /><br />That's my greatest dream and goal. <br /><br />Examples? <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JfAS6nwYc9g?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JfAS6nwYc9g?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YqUsAHTUPTU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YqUsAHTUPTU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LJGnGaAbU3w?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LJGnGaAbU3w?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-29611654937057649992010-08-11T10:48:00.000-07:002010-08-11T10:50:44.366-07:00InspiringAmelia Lyon's photography is absolutely fantastic. (http://www.amelialyon.net/). Seriously amazing. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TGLizWrVMAI/AAAAAAAAAE8/S_BSlPsNt1I/s1600/amelia+lyon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TGLizWrVMAI/AAAAAAAAAE8/S_BSlPsNt1I/s400/amelia+lyon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504211066488696834" /></a>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-78197638860270228732010-08-05T10:12:00.000-07:002010-08-05T10:14:55.654-07:00DreamsI've been having some insane dreams lately. <br /><br />My favorite involved rats, old TV's, and a wonderful mother of a friend/english teacher of mine. In the dream, we were talking about poetry, and she said this: <br /><br />"Sometimes poetry so perfectly describes how I feel, that I think I must have written it myself and forgotten that I did."<br /><br />I seriously love that quote, even if my subconscious version of Mrs. Luoma made it up.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-77619335653176682862010-08-04T17:22:00.000-07:002010-08-04T17:23:15.630-07:00<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFoEczRgHkI/AAAAAAAAAE0/m1WGqnLNzvQ/s1600/photo-795631.JPG"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFoEczRgHkI/AAAAAAAAAE0/m1WGqnLNzvQ/s320/photo-795631.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501714787632946754" /></a></p>Hangin with Lil sister nikky and boyfriend Mitch!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-54881815025744430042010-08-03T09:44:00.000-07:002010-08-03T09:46:42.172-07:00Yes pleaseWho would like to purchase this for me? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFhHpPcyiSI/AAAAAAAAAEs/gILOwIW_m-c/s1600/fender_telecaster2.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 336px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFhHpPcyiSI/AAAAAAAAAEs/gILOwIW_m-c/s400/fender_telecaster2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501225718680553762" /></a>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-55017747410409252682010-07-31T08:35:00.001-07:002010-07-31T08:35:42.793-07:00<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFRCzgXp9CI/AAAAAAAAAEk/AVfMmg6KlSA/s1600/photo-742794.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFRCzgXp9CI/AAAAAAAAAEk/AVfMmg6KlSA/s320/photo-742794.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500094497556132898" /></a></p>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-1439319111001757632010-07-30T10:02:00.000-07:002010-07-30T10:04:56.135-07:00My Desk<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFMF6hUFnFI/AAAAAAAAAEc/saSvmJ3vP2M/s1600/photo-718058.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/TFMF6hUFnFI/AAAAAAAAAEc/saSvmJ3vP2M/s320/photo-718058.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499746072882682962" /></a></p><br /><br />My desk needs some serious loveSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-55472258403677862702010-07-29T15:36:00.001-07:002010-07-29T15:36:34.021-07:00Hmm...Thinking about singing some covers in front of the webcam and throwing them up here from time to time just for fun...Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-53356886994316685772010-07-28T08:46:00.000-07:002010-07-28T08:52:16.759-07:00Chart toppersLife's amazing busyness has caused me to seriously neglect this blog for almost exactly six months, but I think I'd like to get back on the wagon with it. (how many times have you read <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>on somebody's blog before another indefinite dry spell?)<br /><br />I'm going to spare descriptions of all of the things I've been up to (wedding/marriage/work etc.) but if you happen to want details about that stuff check out<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><span class="UIStory_Message"><a href="http://scwhittaker.blogspot.com/" onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://scwhittaker.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />What I want from you currently, for reasons that will definitely be spelled out at some point in the future, is<span style="font-weight: bold;"> your favorite chart-topping song from the 1970's-now, and why you love it</span>. Don't make this about trying to think of something super original, just your favorite popular song from the last 40 years and what makes it your favorite. Go!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-15066444314008934472010-02-02T23:19:00.000-08:002010-02-02T23:34:36.648-08:00Paul and StinkerTonight was the second time I spoke to Paul, the homeless man I met last week. He only sleeps in the place I've met him when it's raining because there's an overhang there. He was still there tonight because it takes his mattress (in the place he normally stays) about three days to dry out. Paul has a big fat cat named Stinker who he loves to death, has read the entire bible dozens of times, and was a Navy Seal in Vietnam. He doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't steal, and is incredibly kind and respectful. He is the antithesis of what comes to mind when you think of the homeless.<br /><br />"I was almost done. I was supposed to be in-country (in Vietnam) for twenty-six more days, then I would have done my time and been done. Then I got the news that my wife and three-month-old son were killed by a drunk driver, and I decided to stay and try my hardest to get killed."<br /><br />He tried to find the most dangerous places he could as a Navy Seal, then after he was done with that, he intentionally crashed his motorcycle three separate times, trying his hardest to kill himself.<br /><br />Years later, two more sons from a second marriage died five years apart in the military. One in Afghanistan, one in Kuwait. Paul told me he tried to talk them out of joining. <br /><br />"I finally decided God wanted me alive when I put the barrel of my .357 magnum in my mouth and pulled the trigger, only to hear it click on a dud round." He told me tonight, "So I took it out of my mouth, aimed it at a hillside in my backyard and fired five shots that all went off without a problem. I put it back in my mouth and tried to use the last round on myself. But it just clicked again. I wasn't supposed to die."<br /><br />"Why do you think you're still alive?" I asked, sitting next to him and petting Stinker.<br /><br />"I have no idea." He answered, looking straight into my eyes.<br /><br />I desperately want to help him answer that question.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-84625092752613809112009-10-27T10:15:00.000-07:002009-10-27T10:28:58.607-07:00UpdateLife is good.<br /><br />It seems like lately everyone's response to "how are you doing?" is usually "Busy!" I'm no exception in that regard. I have a lot going on, and am having trouble staying on top of it all, but when I look at all of the things I'm doing, I can't help but recognize each and every stressor and responsibility as an incredible and undeserved blessing.<br /><br />Roughly one and half semesters of college left until the bachelors of arts in psychology is mine! Hardest semester of my life, but SO packed with valuable knowledge and understanding.<br /><br />Worship through music at Incarnate Faith has been on a steady upswing - in terms of the technical quality of our music, the response and involvement of the congregation, and my own personal excitement and passion. Even more than I always have, I am starting to <span style="font-style: italic;">long </span>for the feel of steel strings under my fingers, the mesh grill of the microphone on my lips, and the inexplicable outpouring of emotion from my hands and lungs that worship has become for me. I am so blessed to have this.<br /><br />Warehouse work has turned into Guitar Tech work at Morgan Hill Music, and it is another huge blessing to have the direct instruction of a professional luthier. I am learning so much about the instrument I love.<br /><br />And OF COURSE my incredible new Fiancee is dominating my mind constantly, as are plans for our wedding. I am so blessed to have this girl. I could never put it into words.<br /><br />Between all of these things, as well as my family, leadership at iF, and occasionally sleeping and eating, my life is busy. But, it's like I said: life is good.<br /><br />Life is good. And life is good because God is good. I am blessed.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-35007517537967366102009-10-26T16:18:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:21:38.658-07:00Well, in the ridiculous business of my life, we can all see how high on the priorities list this blog landed.<br /> That being said, here is some BIG news! Although I'm guessing no one reading this blog doesn't already know this, Christina and I are engaged as of October 23rd. Details about our wedding will be posted by my lovely fiance and occasionally myself on our brand new wedding blog!<br /><br /><a href="http://scwhittaker.blogspot.com/">Snapshots in C#</a><br /><br />Be sure to follow!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-18302774259859984932009-08-13T16:10:00.000-07:002009-08-13T16:18:11.302-07:0008/04/09I can't rationalize American Lifestyles. Even the ones we would consider 'generous.' If giving a tiny percent of your fortune earns you a pat on the back and a good night of sleep, then what, or who exactly, did you do it for?<br /> In this country we have an incredible shortage of people who give until it hurts. Until it hurts <span style="font-style: italic;">bad. </span>Until your neighbors look at you the way Noah's did and say "what's <span style="font-style: italic;">wrong</span> with that guy?" We have almost no one brace enough to live in a way that defies the American way to the point of causing difficulty and pain to themselves and unease in those around them.<br /> Our pursuits - even the ones that come across as 'humanitarian' or 'globally minded' or whatever the current catch phrase is - all are, at their molten core, at their beating heart, selfish. We seek to please ourselves. To make ourselves comfortable. Financially, socially, yeah those are the easy and common ones to think about. But what about the steps we take to make ourselves <span style="font-style: italic;">spiritually </span>comfortable, or <span style="font-style: italic;">morally </span>comfortable?<br /> And in those pursuits, where is Jesus?<br /> I find it a lot harder to find fault in average Americans than to find fault in people like me. The people who have the audacity to call ourselves followers of Christ while doing our best, sincerest imitation of the rest of the world.<br /><br /> So easy to rant about, yet so hard to rectify. Good thing we don't have to deserve the grace we've been given.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-91339824290095524172009-07-18T11:43:00.000-07:002009-07-18T12:04:52.147-07:00PrioritiesI know this is a little late in coming, but it's been on my mind and heart.<br /><br />I am disgusted to see that we live in a country that, despite the fact that there is/are:<br /> • 27 million slaves in the world<br /> o Over four times as many existed during the trans-Atlantic slave trade<br /> o 2 children sold a minute<br /> o Second largest (and fastest growing) illegal industry in the world.<br /> • A hostage situation in Iran<br /> • A North Korea that wants to blow up America (and isn’t that far from being able to do it).<br /> • An economy that is falling farther despite attempts to fix it.<br /><br />And yet I went <span style="font-style: italic;">five days</span> without being able to turn on the news or look at Yahoo’s front page without seeing something about Michael Jackson’s death.<br />No disrespect to the man. He did a lot for the music industry and was a cultural icon, but please. There are more important things in the world.<br /><br />We are a nation of people who are ready and willing to cry and mourn over the death of an emotional disturbed stranger for weeks, but turn the channel away from a starving child. We don’t feel comfortable learning about the millions of children who are forced into prostitution and sex slavery who <span style="font-style: italic;">need our help</span>. We would rather think about Michael.<br /><br />Wake. Up. There’s a world that needs wealthy American’s to put down the remote and <span style="font-style: italic;">save lives.</span><br /><br />Take five minutes<br /><br /><a href="http://love146.org/"> Love 146 </a><br /><br /><a href="http://ijm.org/">International Justice Mission</a><br /><br /><a href="http://tradeasone.com/">Trade as one</a>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-40317690568261170902009-06-01T23:11:00.001-07:002009-06-01T23:13:56.092-07:00Sam Whittaker is:<br /><br />Extremely busy even though summer is over<br />Not used to working 8 hour shifts after a semester of 5 and 6 hour ones<br />Still extremely busy despite it being summer<br />Happy<br />Consumed with thoughts of the future<br />Hopeful and trusting<br />Full of creative energy and never able to play or sing enough in a given day<br />Paranoid ever since the peer group started playing 'assassination'<br />GratefulSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-78542466620358223492009-04-22T21:52:00.001-07:002009-04-22T21:55:50.067-07:00Abolition is happening. Thank you, Lord.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/Se_0LEpf6vI/AAAAAAAAACI/xVnhY_Cn_6g/s1600-h/round+home.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/Se_0LEpf6vI/AAAAAAAAACI/xVnhY_Cn_6g/s400/round+home.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327745355266124530" border="0" /></a>Seven little girls who deserve better than they've gotten are being sent to this new Love146 "Round home" where they will be loved, cared for, and taught how to live and function in society as a human instead of a product. Hopefully they will learn they're incredible value and importance as well. Pray for those little girls.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-13650991331050884102009-04-12T14:27:00.000-07:002009-04-12T14:38:26.173-07:00RisenWhat happened on a weekend 2000 years ago is thrown around (in Christian circles) so much that it is incredibly easy to lose sight of the significance and magnitude of it. I was realizing that today during worship. Realizing the weight of what was done for us.<br /> As I sang "Jesus conquered the grave," it hit me how indescribably amazing and unprecedented the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is. All of the corny Christianese phrases: "Jesus died for your sins," etc. etc. have a way of desensitizing us to that. They have a way of making us get used to the knowledge of His death and our subsequent salvation; like getting comfortable in a hot tub that burned your skin when you originally stepped into it.<br /> The fact that God wrapped himself in flesh, lived a perfect life, and died a brutal death, all out of a deep, pure, ineffable love for people <span style="font-style: italic;">who were yet sinners</span>, is an amazing thing. Like He said himself, few people will even dare to die for a righteous man. Yet our God, perfect, and deserving nothing less than perfection, died for us while we were still dirty sinners. It is a love that we do not - cannot- understand.<br /><br /> And how sad that we allows that to take a backseat to anything and everything. Homework, relationships, theological debates, political disagreements, insecurity, jealous... there's an eternal list of things that we would let overshadow our Savior and His redeeming life and death. We have momentary highs of realization and understanding, but those are just islands in a sea of apathetic self-serving choices and movements. Our lives should be in constant reverence and humility under the shadow of the Almighty God that is powerful enough to create the universe and yet is loving enough to care about us while we were yet sinners.<br /><br /> This Easter, remember Jesus and His death and resurrection. But beyond that, let's take a shot at making <span style="font-style: italic;">our every waking breath</span> be in awe of it.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-91465588005468582832009-03-17T14:54:00.001-07:002009-03-17T15:05:26.835-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/ScAcv1TmhXI/AAAAAAAAABw/O63zy5w6w0s/s1600-h/Photo+38.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/ScAcv1TmhXI/AAAAAAAAABw/O63zy5w6w0s/s400/Photo+38.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314279168385910130" border="0" /></a><br />I'm currently sitting in the classroom waiting for the fifth and last class of the day to start. It has been one of those days where you wake up with heavy eyes and slow-moving limbs and they never really go away. Note the bloodshot eyes.<br /><br />Once I get home I'll have about ten minutes and then it's off to an hour of worship practice with my junior highers, followed by an hour and a half of worship practice with my high schoolers. Draining day.<br /><br /><br />On a more positive note, I finally integrated Steven and Adolfo into the highschool worship program. I'm so excited for them; they are amazing guys with a great deal of raw undeveloped talent and great hearts. I can't wait to see them grow as musicians and leaders.<br /><br />p.s. love146.org met their goal of raising $5,000 on valentines day for safehome building. Such a wonderful thing to hear.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-52765930303236073882009-03-03T22:59:00.000-08:002009-03-03T23:06:52.935-08:00RIP Lee WaltonThis is one of those things that you could never see coming in a million years.<br /><br />In seven years of seeing someone almost every day, I could not tell you one bad thing about that guy no matter how hard I tried. He was always supportive (even of the younger guys that most older players trashed) and managed to be a respected and loved team captain without ever being harsh or a jerk. He was always kind.<br /><br />I try to imagine what it must feel like to find your life so unhappy that you would rather end it yourself than have it continue. I try and fail. I wish I could understand what would make such a wonderful guy so miserable.<br /><br />Lee, you may be gone but your memory is not. Thank you for making me feel comfortable as a home schooler coming into a competitive public school water polo team. Thank you for editing our highlights videos. Thank you for buying me lunch the time I forgot my wallet. Thank you for being an indispensable part of a great time in my life. Thank you for being who you were.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-15651239954925252282009-01-22T19:02:00.000-08:002009-01-22T19:05:50.967-08:00Hair<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/SXkzj3dLuWI/AAAAAAAAABg/7969-WM5olc/s1600-h/Photo+33.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_45fu2sb97Zk/SXkzj3dLuWI/AAAAAAAAABg/7969-WM5olc/s400/Photo+33.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294319528225519970" border="0" /></a><br />My hair looks like this after a full day of wearing a beanie.<br /><br /> Whenever (by laziness, not design) my hair gets this long, I hear a call from the dark side whispering <span style="font-style: italic;">"Hey, long hair was fun, remember? Do it again!" </span>But let's be honest, I'll probably get it cut soon. But let's be honest; a haircut is loooow on my priorities list at the moment.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656397888564925559.post-86074789310145834692009-01-21T09:10:00.001-08:002009-01-21T09:15:54.537-08:00Thank God for financial aid fee deferment. Thanks to good old Calgrant A, school this semester is going to cost a whopping $470! An incredible blessing, especially because my family has an incredible amount of bills that we are strugglin' to pay at the moment.<br /><br /> Also, by buying books online I saved myself about 126 dollars, which is no small amount considering the total cost from the Spartan bookstore would have been 335. Still a bummer to have to spend 200 dollars, but I'm happy that it at least cost less than it would have originally. <br /><br /> Also My awesome schedule happens to work so that I only have to make the trek up to SJSU twice a week. And that's with fifteen units of classes! It should be an interesting bunch of classes this semester.<br /><br /> The time for me to put my foot down about what my future career path will be is coming a lot closer.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03594156707498965766noreply@blogger.com0